Wichita State moves up to No. 3 in AP poll, highest ranking since 2014

For the first time since the 2013-14 season, Wichita State is back in the top-five of the Associated Press poll.

After scoring back-to-back weekend road victories over the Big 12 and having three teams lose in front of them last week, the Shockers (8-1) moved up to No. 3 in the latest poll released Monday. It is the highest WSU has been ranked by the AP since the 2013-14 team spent the final month of the season ranked No. 2.

Villanova (10-0) ascended to No. 1, followed by Michigan State (9-1), WSU, Duke (11-1), and Arizona State (9-0). KU dropped from No. 2 to No. 13 following back-to-back losses, while Cincinnati fell to No. 25 after losses to Xavier and Florida.

WSU moves up thanks to a pair of road wins at Baylor and at Oklahoma State. The Shockers are 43-6 in true road games since the 2013-14 season, the best mark in that timespan in Division I. WSU snapped Baylor’s non-conference home winning streak at 42 games, then ended OSU’s 15-game non-conference home winning streak.

Wichita State will take on a third straight Big 12 opponent on a Saturday this week with Oklahoma (7-1) coming to Intrust Bank Arena. The Sooners are led by freshman standout Trae Young, who is averaging 28.8 points and 8.8 assists.

The Shockers also have help on the way, as junior forward Markis McDuffie, last season’s leading scorer and rebounder, indicated he is targeting WSU’s Dec. 22 home game against Florida Gulf Coast for his return. McDuffie has yet to play this season recovering from a stress fracture.

This story was originally published December 11, 2017 at 11:33 AM with the headline "Wichita State moves up to No. 3 in AP poll, highest ranking since 2014."